Mike has acquired the Leonard Cohen look with suntan and a fetching panama he blagged after we'd sampled some delicious port at Symingtons in Pinhao - Quinta Bomfim. I hadn't appreciated brands like Warre, Dow, Graham and Cockburn all belonged to the one family which owns 27 estates! We deliberated about going on a tour and tasting as we'd done this in Porto many years ago, but persuaded ourselves this was different as it was actually at a Quinta.
A reason for visiting this region has been to fulfil a fantasy Mike has had, ever since we didn't do it all those years ago - to go up the river Douro by train. We could have gone all the way starting from Porto, but the river from Peso da Regua to a tiny place, Pocinho, where it stops and turns round, hugs the river. It is so close at times the train slows to crawling whilst it navigates a trellis bridge or runs a few feet from the water's edge. It was worth it and we weren't disappointed, going through first a wider valley covered with vineyards to a much narrow and steep sided rocky part. Port is also made from vines grown there, but is spicier because of the concentration summer temperatures of 50oC can produce.
We've left motor home city now on our way to Marvao near the Spanish border, an old town recommended by friends Pete and Joy.
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